Something About the Sunshine
by Ranger of the Forest
Summary: Dick Grayson is a popstar with an attitude and a secret he's intent on taking to his grave. Rachel Roth is a sarcastic teenager whose favorite hobby is teasing her celebrity obsessed sister. They're from two different worlds, but when they collide (literally), everything they know will be upended. RobRae version of the movie Starstruck.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel Roth had her moments. Getting an A on a paper she had written the night before. Crushing her friend Karen in Super Mario Smash Bros. Convincing her parents to let her skip a grade. Ok, maybe most of her moments involved school, but the point is she had them. So maybe, she thought as she dangled the magazine above her sister Kori's head, maybe this wasn't one of them.

"Rachel! Give it back!" Kori protested. Rachel lifted it higher.

"Rach, stop tormenting your sister." Their father called from the kitchen. She sighed and relented, tossing the magazine onto the floor. Her sister scrambled for it, then clutched it to her chest like it was a wounded animal. Rachel rolled her eyes. Her sister had certainly inherited their mother's flare for the dramatic.

"You ripped it!" Kori exclaimed, pointing to a minuscule tear at the corner.

"I'm sure your precious Dick will be ok."

"Rachel." Her mother's warning drifted into the living room.

"But that's his name." Rachel protested, unable to hide the smirk that was spreading across her face.

"Girls, suitcases." Her dad called.

"Come pick out your clothes, we're leaving for the airport tomorrow after school." Her mom added, entering the room.

"In less than 24 hours, I'll be in Jump City with Dick! What if he picks me up at the airport?" Kori squealed.

"Why would he do that?" Rachel snorted.

"Uhh, I'm an original member of his fan club! I follow his minute by minute blog

posts. And I text him, everyday. Trust me. He wants to meet me." Raven shook her head and turned to her mother.

"Is it too late for me to be an only child?"

"Yes."

"Then can I please stay home?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because your grandmother hasn't seen you in 2 years."

"Plus you're a minor and it's illegal." Her dad added.

"EVERYBODY SHH! This might be about Dick." Kori exclaimed, lunging for the remote. She turned the volume all the way up and Rachel sighed as reporter Libby Lane appeared on the screen.

"The fabulous Dick Grayson picked up 6 music associations awards last night just in time for his new CD, In the Grey, to drop, Wow! Double platinum. We caught up with our favorite pop star on the red carpet." The screen cut to the messy haired popstar. If Rachel didn't know any better, she would almost think he looked nervous.

"Well first I'd love to say, uh, thank you so much for buying the records and coming to my concerts. You're the reason I love what I do, uh. You guys are the best fans in the world, thank you."

"Wow, he is such an amazing person." Kori sighed, gazing dreamily at the screen

"He's definitely not amazing" Kori turned to glare at her sister.

"Uh, he IS amazing. And if you knew him, like I know him, you wouldn't say that."

"Hello? We live in Michigan. You don't know him." Raven replied, her annoyance growing.

"But I do. I know everything about him. I know where he works. Eats. Shops. Surfs. And parties." Rachel rolled her eyes.

.~.

"Aha, ready to party?" Victor Stone crowed as they got out of the car.

"Absolutely!" Dick Grayson replied, clapping his best friend on the back.

"Then let's do it!" Dick handed off the keys to the valet, and crossed over to the sidewalk where Stone was waiting.

"Hey, does that new valet look a little shifty to you?" He asked, squinting at the car.

"No, not really."

"Looks shifty to me. He better not wreck Angelina."

"Come on Stone, let's find you a real girl." Dick chuckled, steering his friend towards the club's entrance.

"It is a real girl." Stone replied indignantly. Then he did a double take.

"Oh, wow. Look who it is. Dick Grayson's girlfriend. The fantabulous fabulous, Kitten Moth." Kitten sauntered over to where the two were standing and planted an exaggerated kiss on Dick's cheeks.

"Hi Sweetie." She purred, running her hands over Dick's shoulders. He coughed, and she turned to look at Victor.

"Stone." He gave a halfhearted wave but she had already turned back to her boyfriend.

"You look beautiful tonight." Dick said, staring down at her...very pink...dress.

"Mmm, I know! Wait till you see what I'm wearing tomorrow." Dick wrinkled his brow.

"Tomorrow?" He asked.

"Tomorrow. My birthday." Dick's confusion grows. Kitten puts her hands on her hips, pouting.

"Baby, you promised you were gonna sing."

"Right. Hey, I'll be there. Absolutely." He reassured her. She smiled up at him in relief.

"Okay." Kitten turned to enter the club, then stopped, a frown forming on her face.

"Something's wrong."

"Yeah, you're here." Stone grumbled. Both Dick and Kitten turned to stare at him

"WHAT? It's supposed to be guys' night out!" Stone said.

"Where's the paparazzi?" Kitten asked, craning her neck around.

"Oh come on, you did not tweet again did you?" Stone groaned. Just then, a fleet of black vans arrived. A swarm of paparazzi exited.

"Aha!" Kitten cried, plastering a giant smile on her face.

"There he is!" Cried one particularly eager paparazzo as he took out his camera.

"Wow, so weird!" Kitten said, beginning to pose.

"Alright, back up, back up. Whoa whoa whoa! Back up! Back up!" Dick shouted, placing his hand in front of the camera. He ushered his girlfriend and Stone into the club. At the very least the paparazzi wouldn't be able to get into the Under 21 Club. He sighed as they entered the crowded room. For once, Dick Grayson would like to be able to go to without cameras capturing his every move.

 **A/N: I've always had a minor obsession with the movie Starstruck, even though some of the acting is terrible and the plot is so corny and contrived. But I still love it, and recently the idea popped into my head to do a RobRae version of it. If you know the movie (bless you if you do, it's on Netflix), this is going to be a little different. I won't spoil anything, but you'll see what I mean in the coming chapters...**


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel was walking out of school, when she saw her sister and her friend Andrea standing under a banner, handing out flyers. She walked over and took one.

"You're not invited" Kori sniffed, turning her nose up at her sister.

"Everybody's invited, Kori. It's an all school dance." Rachel said, pointing at the flyer.

"The operative word being 'dance.'" Kori and Andrea exchanged knowing looks.

"Embarrassing!" They trilled.

"Don't worry, I'm just going there to cover it for the school paper." Rachel said, her hands on her hips.

"Oh." Kori looked away, mollified by this.

"Oh, are you bringing your camera to California?" Andrea asked, turning to Kori as if Rachel wasn't there.

"Andrea, of course I am."

"Because we still need pics of Dick Grayson." She said, holding up a photo album.

"Talking, walking, singing, dancing, moving, breathing." They both sighed.

"Why are you both so hung up on this guy?" Rachel asked, unable to keep the disgust out of her voice.

"This guy?" Andrea asked, incredulous.

"Mhm. Now? You see what I live with?" Kori replied, crossing her arms.

"Poor you."

"Little sister, when we go to California, you can play shuffleboard with grandma, but I'm going to meet Dick Grayson."

"Just how are you planning to do that?"

"Well, we've mapped out his every move for the past 18 months!" Andrea exclaimed, looking through the photo book.

"Mhm." Kori nodded in agreement.

"I know when and where he's likely to be every second of every day. About the time we leave for Jump City, he'll be having his daily meeting with his managers." Andrea and Kori sighed again, and Rachel crossed her arms. This was going to be one long trip.

.~.

"Is Allen here yet?" Dick asked, pacing back and forth in his living room.

"Not yet. Slow down, Dick, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet." Stone said, grabbing his friend by the shoulder. Dick stopped, running his hands through his tousled hair.

"Then I'll buy a new carpet. Opportunities like this don't come around every day, you know."

"As your lifetime best friend as well as your manager, trust me dude, I know."

"I just want this to go perfectly."

"And it will, so stop worrying." Dick sighed, and glanced up at the massive blown up picture of him on the wall. Then he looked over at the mantelpiece, where there sat the family picture. The Graysons. It was hard to believe he was the only one left.

"I just wish they were here to see it." Stone patted him on the back.

"They'd be proud of you Dick, I know it." The doorbell rang, and Dick let out a long, shaky breath. Stone gave him one final pat on the back, then headed to answer the door. But halfway there, he turned back with a start

"Oh, but Dick- your suit's showing." Dick looked down.

"Right." He buttoned his shirt almost all the way up, and stood in the center of the room, trying to look confident.

"Hey Mr. Smith, come on in." Stone said, and the two men entered the den where Robin was standing. Allen spread his hands, smiling.

"Dick Grayson." Dick stepped forward and shook Allen's hand.

"Mr. Smith."

"My daughters are big fans of you."

"That's what we like to hear." Stone laughed. Allen stepped forward, examining the living room.

"Wow, this is great." He stopped upon seeing Dick plastered up on the wall.

"I love this! I love this! Rock'n'Roll! Hello Cleveland!" He made the metal sign with his hands and Stone laughed. Dick just scratched his head, sheepish. Allen walked over to the mantelpiece and held up Dick's first album, Night Heart.

"Oh, got this album at the house. Girls love this." Stone nodded and smiled, while Dick managed a weak grin

"Alright, let's get right to the point. Let's get right to it. I've been watching you. And, I like what I see. You are a talented, talented kid. He's a talented kid. You sing, you dance, I hope you can act?"

"Yeah, I think so." Dick said.

"Because I like you for this movie."

"Booyah!" Stone exclaimed, before regaining his composure. Dick allowed himself to relax.

"Thank you sir, I mean coming for you is such an honor, I mean to work with someone like-"

"But, my people don't necessarily agree with me. See, all they see is a spoiled punk who likes to tangle with the paparazzi." Allen pulled out a magazine clipping from his back pocket. Dick blanched.

"Mr. Smith, you know how the tabloids are, they manipulate photos to-" Stone said.

"Yeah, I know. I get it. I get it. Look, all I'm saying, kid, is a chance like this comes along once in a lifetime and I wanna give you a shot but you have to prove that you're a serious and committed actor." Allen replied, looking straight at Dick.

"How do I do that?"

"On Monday I'm gonna meet with my people, try and sell them on you. In the meantime, you keep your face out of the tabloids. No press. Good or Bad. Ok?" Dick nodded, turning to face Stone.

"I can do that."

"In fact, stay home." Dick reached out to shake Allen's hand.

"Thank you sir, I appreciate it." As Stone led Allen to the door, Dick sank into the couch. He could do this. All he had to do was stay out of the public eye for a few days. How hard could that be?

 **A/N: Coming up next chapter, the sisters touch down in Jump, Dick bends the rules, and our two heroes meet in an unexpected fashion.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rachel Roth leaned against an airport post, squinting against the sunlight. She was trying to read the new comic book anthology she had gotten, full of stories inspired by her real life hero, Nightwing. Who knows, maybe she would run into him in his home city.

"Ugh. You're such a dork. You brought homework?" Her sister interrupted. Raven glared at her.

"Um, no. It's called reading. You should try it sometime."

"What? I read." Rachel picked up the magazine Kori had been reading and held it up.

"This? It's all pictures." Kori grabbed it from her hands and cradled it.

"Don't touch that!" Rachel snorted.

"Gladly."

"What's taking them so long? Just get me a car already so I can go meet Dick Grayson!" Rachel looked up, a small smile forming on her face.

"Um, Kori, you can't drive."

"Uh, Yes I can. License?" Kori pulled out her license and held it up to the light.

"Uh, no you can't. Sign." Rachel pointed at a sign right across from where they were. Kori peered across the way and read it aloud.

"You must be at least 25 years old to drive or rent a car from Jump City car rental? What?!" She turned to Rachel, horror filling her face.

"How am I supposed to do what I wanna do?" Kori wailed.

"And what would that be?" Their mother asked, emerging with their father from the car rental station.

"Uh, take Rachel sight seeing?" Kori improvised, grabbing hold of her sister's shoulders.

"I think your grandma's got a car you can borrow." Their dad chimed in. Kori immediately brightened up.

"Sweet!"

After what felt like hours of sitting in traffic, they finally arrived at their grandmother's house. Rachel couldn't keep the smile from spreading on her face as they neared their grandmother's house. No sooner had the car stopped than she was rushing to get out.

"Mom, be careful!" Their mom called out the car window. Grandma spotted them up from the ladder and waved.

"Oh, here comes the cavalry." She began to climb down.

"You could fall and break a hip!"

"Oh, now Angela, calm down!" Her grandmother walked over and enveloped her mother in a hug. She turned and pointed to the man half hidden by the shrubbery.

"Howard had my back." The man Rachel assumed was Howard emerged, waving a hand. He came up and wrapped his arms around her grandmother.

"We take care of each other."

"Okay then." Rachel's mom looked bemused as she stepped back next to her husband. Seeing her opportunity, Rachel ran over and hugged her grandmother.

"Grandma!"

"Oh! Rachel! I'm so happy to see you."

"I missed you so much." Rachel said, pulling away.

"Oh, ditto!" Her grandmother peered around and saw Kori, only now emerging from the rental car.

"Oh, Sara! You can take it for a spin if you want to." Grandma said, nodding at the car parked in her driveway. It was an nauseous shade of fuchsia, the top of the car protruding from the rest of it like a bulbous turnip.

"Just gave her a toon up! She runs like a top." Howard added, smiling at Kori.

Yeah. A super ugly top you never want to be seen in!" Kori shrieked.

"Does that mean you'll be joining us for shuffleboard?" Rachel asked, causing her grandma to chuckle. Kori stomped her foot in frustration.

.~.

Rachel entered her sister's room, not even bothering to knock.

"Grandma says stop pacing. You're creating a draft."

"I just got a call from AJ. She just had a chat, about a text, according to blog, about Dick Grayson. He's singing tonight! At Kitten Moth's birthday party. I have to go!" Kori said, beginning to pace again. Rachel snorted.

"Good luck convincing Mom and Dad of that." Just as she was about to leave the room, Kori grabbed her sister by the hand. A wild look had come over her.

"Go with me!" Rachel pulled away.

"No."

"But they'll let me go if you go too."

"How many times do I have to say this? I'm not interested in meeting a stupid celebrity! I mean I am sick and tired of Dick Grayson. He's all you talk about."

"I could say the same thing about you and that nightface." Rachel crossed her arms.

"It's Nightwing. And it's not the same thing at all. Nightwing saves lives, all Dick does it write stupid songs." Kori flushed and opened her mouth. Rachel prepared herself for the verbal barrage. But she found herself surprised by the next words that came out of her sister' mouth.

"I'll shut up."

"What?"

"If you go with me, and I meet Dick Grayson, I'll stop talking about him! For the rest of the trip."

"How about the rest of your life?"

"Please?" Rachel uncrossed her arms, and considered Kori. There was something so vulnerable about her sister's face in that moment that she knew she had no choice but to give in. Even though it pained her greatly.

.~.

"What are you doing? This is a no parking zone!" Rachel hissed as her sister pulled onto the side of the road right across from the Under 21 club. Kori crawled into the backseat, dragging her purse with her.

"When a person stays in our car, it's not parking, it's waiting!" She hissed.

"We'll get a ticket."

"Just- just get behind the wheel!" Rachel stared at her sister, not sure if she was hearing her right.

"Do it!"

"Okay." She crawled into the driver's seat as Kori changed in the back

"Every boy, every girl, they got your posters on their walls, yeah!" Kori sang, only slightly offkey. Rachel sighed.

"How long is this going to take?" She asked. Kori finished shimmying into a sparkly pink top and leaned forward to touch up her makeup.

"Not long."

"Hmm." With a smack of her glossed lips Kori pulled back and exited the car.

"Just stay here." She instructed her sister before slamming the door. Rachel watched as her sister narrowly avoided being hit by cars while crossing the street. This was going to be a long night.

.~.

"I don't know about this, man." Victor Stone murmured, shaking his head as they pulled up in front of the club.

"Pfft, no, we'll be fine." Dick reassured him, tugging his hoodie over his head.

"We shouldn't even be here. Alright, we should be at home. Chillin. At the party Bruce is throwing." Dick snorted at that. Stone had disliked and mistrusted Bruce for as long as he had known him.

"Since when do you wanna party with Bruce?"

"Are you kidding? The caterer is from Argentina. There's gonna be steak, for

dessert."

"Tempting, but I promised Kitten I would sing at her birthday party. I'm not

gonna let her down." Stone leaned back in his seat, clutching his head in despair.

"Ugh, you and your stupid friendship rules!"

"Hey, they work for you don't they? You stay at my house, you eat my food, drive my car."

"Okay, okay. And in return, you get to enjoy my excellent managerial skills and hang out with myself. Victor Stone. Best friends since the 4th grade!" Stone punched his friend for emphasis, and Dick couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm.

"Yeah, works for me too, Stone." They did their signature handshake, a combination of fist bumping and hand signals that even expert sign language interpreters couldn't figure out.

"Let's do this." Stone exited the vehicle, and through the windows Dick could see his friend embracing a reluctant Kitten. He smiled. Kitten and Stone had never gotten along, even though Dick had been dating her for almost two years. Wow. Had it been that long? Shaking his head, he pulled the car out. Hopefully this would be a birthday that Kitten would never forget.

.~.

"Where is he?" Kitten whined, the cameras flashing behind her. Stone plastered a smile on his face and turned to the paparazzi.

"He couldn't make it. He's at home. Eating steak!" Just as he was turning away, a girl with red hair pushed him forward. He stumbled as she wrapped her arms around him, posing for the cameras.

"Who are-" He was interrupted as she dragged him into the club. Once inside, Stone peeled away from the strange girl and stared at her, not believing his eyes. This girl was drop dead gorgeous, with a heart shaped face covered in freckles, piercing green eyes, and long, fiery hair.

"Uh..." He tried not to stare. The girl, however, had already turned away from him, trying to push her way through the crowd. Stone shook his head. He had to go let Dick in. Pushing his way through the crowd, he made his way to the service entrance. He jogged down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and pushed open the side door. Dick poked his head around and entered, clapping his friend on the back.

"Thanks. Looks like we pulled it off." Dick said.

"What would you do without me?" Stone replied with a grin. They raced up the stairs and made their way to the backstage area. Dick blew out a big breath, shaking out his hands.

"You got this, buddy."

"I know."

"You still planning on going out on patrol tonight?" Dick gave him a sideways glance.

"Of course. Just because I can't be out as Dick Grayson doesn't mean I can't do my job."

"All I'm saying is, be careful man." Dick clapped him on the back.

"Look, don't worry. No one knows that Dick Grayson and Nightwing are the same person, apart from you and Bruce."

"So let's keep it that way." They both looked up as an announcement was made with the club's speakers.

"Our birthday girl in the VIP section is Kitten Moth, and we have a special guest tonight, Dick Grayson!" With one final smile back at Stone, Dick walked onstage. Stone peered through the curtain and saw Dick blowing a kiss at Kitten. He rolled his eyes. That girl was more plastic than his prosthetic leg. Kitten wasn't worth the publicity that came with her. A guy as smart as Dick would have to be pretty stupid to not see that.

Stone froze. There was that girl from earlier, fighting to push through the crowd. She looked so determined despite her small stature. It made him chuckle. A small pang hit his heart. Of course she was here to see Dick. Fans came from all over the world just to get a glimpse of the star.

Stone was happy for his friend, how could he not be, after everything he had done for him. In fourth grade, all of the other kids were weirded out by his leg, and only Dick had looked past that. Dick, who volunteered at animal shelters in his spare time, who came to Stone once he broke out and pitched him the idea of becoming a superhero. Stone had been happy to help build his friends gadgets for the job, just as he had been happy when Dick had asked him to be his manager. Them having a normal life, going to college, was never a possibility. All they could do was make the most out of the gifts that they had been given. And one of Stone's best gifts, was staying in the background.

.~.

As Dick finished the song, he let the cheers of the crowd wash peer him. He looked down at Kitten, expecting her to give him a rare smile. He had done what she wanted. He had performed at her big birthday bash. He was disappointed, but not surprised, when he found her gazing down at her phone. Dick had always been the one who had put more of an effort in. But maybe that's what made it exciting, the chase.

"Happy birthday, Kitten! Goodnight everybody!" He waved as he exited the stage. There was no sight of Stone backstage. No doubt he had already left to retrieve the car. It was all going according to plan. As he raced down the stairs, he began to unbutton his shirt, revealing the Nightwing suit underneath. Dick pushed the door open. He couldn't wait to get out and stretch his wings.

"Ouch!" Shit. This could not be good.


End file.
